Chapter 44: Major Achievement |
Due to Qin Yun’s incident, and with Daoist Longshan entering closed-door seclusion, the Zhenwu Sect had inevitably been affected. Though things had somewhat recovered over time, morale was still a bit low.
But now.
Jiang Baishan’s breakthrough to the Qi Origin Realm instantly reignited everyone’s spirits.
With a Qi Origin Realm expert guarding the sect, at the very least, it would deter some petty crooks from stirring up trouble.
The Zhenwu Sect was built on Zhenwu Mountain. With so many disciples eating and drinking, they didn’t just live off the mountain’s resources.
In fact.
The Zhenwu Sect’s main sources of income came from two major avenues.
First, from wealthy families who sent their children to the sect to train. Naturally, they had to pay a hefty yearly fee. Of course, the Zhenwu Sect would also protect their safety. Others, seeing this, would generally give the sect some respect and avoid provoking them.
Given how chaotic the world was becoming, this type of income had been steadily increasing each year.
Some disciples who weren’t suited for martial arts would be sent down the mountain to manage enterprises like escort agencies, restaurants, and banks. Over time, these ventures had become quite lucrative.
When disciples went down the mountain to gain experience, they would also handle issues that arose in these enterprises.
The rest came from miscellaneous sources.
But regardless of the type.
Strong martial power was the key safeguard.
If word got out that the Zhenwu Sect was in decline, wolves would descend from all sides.
Recently, first a True Disciple defected, and then their only Qi Origin Realm expert went into closed seclusion. Naturally, this drew some probing. While the True Disciples knew Daoist Longshan was aiming for the Heaven-Man Realm, outsiders didn’t. And rumors had spread that Daoist Longshan had clashed with experts from the Demonic Sect, which only fueled speculation.
Fortunately, Daoist Longshan’s seclusion wasn’t too long. His deterrent effect still lingered, and Luo Wentian and the others could still hold things down for now.
But now.
Jiang Baishan’s ascension to the Qi Origin Realm would be enough to make those lurking forces completely back off.
At the Martial Arena.
Jiang Baishan was surrounded by disciples, all of them visibly excited.
“Congratulations to Fifth Senior Brother for stepping into the Qi Origin Realm!”
Ning Qi could hear the congratulatory cheers from far away.
Luo Wentian had deliberately gathered the disciples to announce the news and amplify its impact. He stood by, smiling, with no hint of discontent. He was the eldest and had witnessed the childhoods of most of the True Disciples.
“Congratulations, Fifth Senior Brother.”
Ning Qi smiled as he offered his congratulations to Jiang Baishan, eyes filled with curiosity.
The Qi Origin Realm experts he’d encountered before were all top-tier—like Daoist Longshan and the Divine Sword Elder. He’d never seen one who had just broken through. He’d always wondered how his current strength compared to someone in the White Mist Realm.
Now might be the perfect opportunity.
Jiang Baishan was radiant with pride.
He had originally thought it would take another year or two to stabilize his foundation. But this period of time, spurred by Qin Yun’s incident, had fueled him with pent-up energy, leading to a direct breakthrough into the Qi Origin Realm.
“Little Nine, want to see what Qi Force looks like?” Jiang Baishan laughed heartily.
Ning Qi nodded with a smile.
Beside them, Fourth Disciple He Yan chuckled and said:
“Good one, Little Five. We’ve been talking about this forever, and you’ve been acting mysterious the whole time. Now that Little Nine is here, you didn’t even say a word before you’re ready to show off.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
“Fourth Senior Brother, just say whether you want to see it or not!”
“See it! Of course, see it!”
The crowd of disciples was full of anticipation and quickly stepped back.
Ning Qi fixed his gaze on Jiang Baishan.
Jiang Baishan exhaled lightly and then grew solemn. When he was in the Inner Origin Realm, he’d cultivated the Heaven-Shaking Force. His current Qi Origin technique was True Heaven-Shaking Qi. Though he had just started cultivating it, his aura was already quite formidable.
Everyone could already feel the pressure.
He lightly swung the longsword in his hand.
Streaks of sword Qi shot out like meteors, razor-sharp, as if slicing through the air itself, striking a massive boulder thirty zhang away.
There was no earth-shattering boom—only dazzling sword Qi cutting back and forth.
The sword light was so sharp it hurt to look at.
Then.
Gasps rang out.
The distant boulder had already turned into a neat pile of shattered stones. The cuts were perfectly smooth, almost all identical in size.
“This is Qi Force! To be this powerful even at thirty zhang—far stronger than Internal Energy. No wonder they say even a Nine-Fold Realm Internal Energy user has no choice but to run when facing someone in the Qi Origin Realm. The gap is just too big—can’t even get close.”
Luo Wentian couldn’t help but marvel.
All eyes were filled with amazement. Many were seeing a Qi Origin Realm expert demonstrate Qi Force up close for the first time.
Even Ye Qinghe, who normally wasn’t that interested in martial arts, was now showing a rare desire to reach the Qi Origin Realm.
Jiang Baishan laughed even louder, launching into a full sword routine. Under the infusion of Qi Force, an otherwise ordinary technique became terrifyingly powerful.
Gasps of awe continued to rise.
The scene was mesmerizing.
Ning Qi watched on as well.
He was equally impressed.
“Qi Force extending thirty zhang—it might not even be the limit. It really is impressive.”
However, Ning Qi realized something. He seemed to have both underestimated and overestimated the Qi Origin Realm.
Underestimated—
Because he hadn’t expected Jiang Baishan, merely in the White Mist Realm, to unleash Qi Force that could shoot thirty zhang, kill enemies, and protect his body. Each stream of sword Qi was far stronger than Internal Energy.
Overestimated—
Because when compared with his own power, Ning Qi felt that while Qi Force was strong, if he went all out... he might actually be stronger?
“The advantage of Qi Origin experts is the ability to attack from range. But if I close in, with my monstrous physical strength combined with my massive Internal Energy, their Qi Force defense might not be enough to block me.”
Ning Qi weighed the strengths and weaknesses between himself and a Qi Origin expert.
Using Jiang Baishan as a hypothetical opponent, he came to a conclusion.
“If I go all out, Fifth Senior Brother probably isn’t my match?”
His lips curled into a subtle smile.
Though they hadn’t actually fought, he felt his estimate was pretty accurate.
Still, the power of Qi Force left him somewhat wary. He thought, if he ever faced a Qi Origin Realm enemy, the best strategy would be to use footwork to evade their Qi Force, then close in with blinding speed to land a decisive blow. Letting a Qi Origin expert keep distance would be troublesome.
News of Jiang Baishan’s promotion to the Qi Origin Realm spread.
The Zhenwu Sect’s position stabilized.
With a Qi Origin Realm expert who could live up to four hundred years, Jiang Baishan was now a renowned figure within the Great Yan Dynasty. Ordinary forces wouldn’t dare provoke him. Those who had been eyeing the sect now backed off.
Ning Qi could finally focus on undergoing his fifth false-death.
Half a month later.
Ning Qi awoke.
His body had transformed again. Its toughness had now reached six times the standard of Perfected Body Tempering—a staggering leap.
But what pleased Ning Qi most—
Was the breakthrough in his Internal Energy.
Six-Fold Realm, Inner Origin Major Achievement!
Ning Qi extended his hand. Dense strands of Internal Energy surged from his palm, gathering and lengthening until it stretched over one zhang, reaching its limit—like a sword growing out from his hand.
With a thought.
The formerly invisible “Internal Energy Sword” began to shift—at times burning hot, at times swirling with frost, sometimes roaring like a Bi’an, sometimes crying like an ancient eagle, all mixed with vibrations, rotations, and other profound traits.
Ning Qi smiled.
“Ordinary Nine-Fold Realm martial artists don’t have Internal Energy nearly this solid. Now that I can extend mine over a zhang, I can say with certainty—Fifth Senior Brother is no match for me. I might even defeat him with relative ease.”
That thought flickered away as his gaze fell on White Ape, looking slightly intrigued.
“Now that my Internal Energy can extend outside the body, maybe I can start exploring the innate bloodline within?”
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